competition policy in the development of competition in various
transport sectors. After a brief reminder of some economic features that
are shared by different transport modes, it mainly examines the
principles and practical underpinnings of merger control as it is
implemented in the present context of rapid consolidation in some
transport sectors. Thereby, it stresses some potential shortcomings of
the traditional merger regula tion approach in the particular context of
transportation services, pointing to an excessive attention paid to
potential competition issues on overly narrow relevant markets while
largely ignoring global efficiency-enhancing effects of mergers and
alliances.

In the most developed nations, as in emerging countries, the economy and society are currently being entirely transformed by an industrial revolution originating in information and communication technologies.